Gitzo GT1532 Test Results

The Gitzo GT1532 is a tripod in Gitzo’s Mountaineer line. The GT1532 is the smallest of this general purpose line. The weight is low enough to qualify it as a travel tripod, but the folded length is too long to fit in a carry-on. This, in addition to Gitzo’s marketing for the tripod, make me place it as all-purpose. The GT1532 performs well, in line with what we expect from the modern Gitzo tripods.

Name

Gitzo GT1532 Mountaineer

Class

All Purpose

Yaw Stiffness

661 +/- 2 Nm/rad

Yaw Damping

0.147 +/- 0.015 Js/rad

Pitch Stiffness

1705 +/- 9 Nm/rad

Pitch Damping

0.68 +/- 0.068 Js/rad

Retail Price

$700

Weight

2.93 lbs (1.33 kgs)

Manufacturer weight rating

22 lbs

Maximum Height

51.7 in (131.3 cm)

Minimum Height

15.2 in (38.6 cm)

Max Height with Center Column

61.4 in (156.0 cm)

Center Column

Yes

Base Diameter

2.0 in (5.1 cm)

Folded Length

24.5 in (62.2 cm)

Folded Circumference

9.5 in (24.1 cm)

Folded Volume

176.0 cu. in. (2.9 liters)

Leg Material

Carbon Fiber

Leg Sections

3

Primary Leg Angle

25.5 deg

Leg Locks

Twist

Top Tube Diameter

25.3 mm

Second Tube Diameter

21.7 mm

Third Tube Diameter

18.0 mm

Exchangeable Feet

Yes

Foot Type

Rubber

Bottom Hook

Yes

The stiffness and damping data are the averages of 10 trials for each measurement. The reported error is the standard error, except in the case of the damping data. I have set the error in the damping at 10% as the standard error metric does not appropriately capture the error in fitting to the data. All of the reported specifications are measured, with the exception of the weight rating. The tripod is measured at full height, with the center column down.

Example data for oscillations about the vertical axis of the tripod:

That’s just sexy.

Example data for oscillations about the radial axis of the tripod:

As pretty as the yaw data is, the pitch data is a mess. It was reasonably stiff, but something weird was going on. You can see the sharpest peak, the second highest, is the correct line. The fit at least is good.